Dragon Ball Has Lots of Heroes, But Gohan Is Easily Its Best Superheroes

After many weeks of anticipation, the special one-shot of the Dragon Ball Super manga was finally released on February 20, 2025. The chapter, which revolves around Goten and Trunks being inspired by a real-life superhero to become warriors for justice, serves as a reminder of why fans love the franchise so much. While not perfect, the characters Akira Toriyama created are undoubtedly genuine heroes.

Nonetheless, the latest entry also proved that, despite not always being the strongest, Gohan is the embodiment of everything the Z Warriors stand for. He is an inspiration for people to fight for what is right, even when hiding his identity. Among all the franchise’s characters, Gohan is the first and most beloved superhero.

Gohan Has the Heart of a True Superhero

Goku’s Son Is a True Inspiration

In the recently published one-shot of the Dragon Ball Super manga, fans saw Gohan become a superhero once again as he played the role of CleanGod. As a favor to his father-in-law, Mister Satan, Goku’s son replaced the original actor who was sick at the time, and joined the filming of the superhero’s upcoming movie. As the crew worked, a group of criminals tried to blend with the crowd to evade police. When the villains tried to attack civilians, Gohan leaped into action, reviving his days as the Great Saiyaman by fighting them.

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Trunks, who had been seen complaining about how ridiculous superheroes were, saw the battle unfold and had a sudden change of heart. Gohan’s courage and his willingness to protect the innocent without any reward inspired the boy to become just like him. The next day, he convinced Goten to become the Great Saiyaman’s successors, helping keep Satan City safe from criminals. Without knowing it, Gohan inspired a new generation of heroes to not be passive about the injustices around them and create a better world, something only he could have accomplished.

Gohan Has Always Been Different From the Other Z Fighters

He Has a Heart of Gold and a Firm Moral Compass

Gohan's Great Saiyaman identity, as it appears in Dragon Ball Super.

Although it is true that all the members of the Z Warriors, from the most powerful Z Fighter to the weakest, are amazing heroes, not all of them can serve as role models. Goku and Vegeta, for example, do not tend to fight to protect others, but rather to satiate their Saiyan nature. Ever since he was a child, Gohan has characterized himself as being different from his friends. For him, fighting was not something to enjoy, it was a responsibility. Since he was among the strongest fighters in the universe, it was his duty to protect the innocent.

Even though he never enjoyed fighting, he would do so when necessary, no matter how much Gohan disliked being a fighter like his father. His sense of justice only increased as he grew older, perfectly exemplified by his heroic persona, The Great Saiyaman, who acted as the original superhero. As such, it makes sense that Gohan is the one who inspires the people around him to be better and fight against injustice. Goku is an example of hard work and commitment, but his oldest son, Gohan, is the embodiment of what a true Dragon Ball hero should be like.